Before she had followed Sorata into the mountains, she was told- pestered more like, to move back to her rural home for the summer vacation. Understanding that her parents would want to see their daughter after all this time, she bitterly complied.

Although her bitterness was masked with a smile that only formed on her mouth.

Had she always been this dull? She shovelled a spoonful of rice into her mouth, trying to think of topics to talk about over the dinner table, but it came up short. While she had to fight to be heard back at Sakurasou, this time it was like she was presenting a speech because all eyes were on her. Expecting her to talk whilst chewing about what the hell she had been doing for the past year at the dorm.

"Umm...how's your mochi shop dad?," she asked, eager to talk about anything other than herself.

The stoic man adjusted his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose. "Same as usual. How is your schooling?," he replied with his deep gravelly voice.

"It's terrific," she said. Maybe she could've at least tried to make that sound authentic.

"Well it better be. Because the schools here are-"

"-Hon..."

It was no surprise that he was opposed to Nanami moving out into the big city. To pursue a career he didn't believe would take off too, not five years ago and not today. He still remembered many plates, vases and objects of sentimental value were broken that day.

"Hmph." He crossed his arms. "What did I tell you Aoyama? The cities' a dangerous place."

She restrained herself from opening her mouth and letting the insults flow out of there by filling it with food instead. Never in her life had she been so motivated to see the inside of her bowl.

"Look at what I made!," Kuika chirped suddenly, holding up a drawing that she hid under the table.

"Wo-ow...!," Aoyama sang, leaning over and petting her little sister on the head. "That's really something!"

She pointed at the stick figure with the signature brown ponytail. "You! See?"

"That's...pretty good kiddo," Aoyama said in the highest pitch she could manage. It came out sounding like a whimper because as much as she loved her sister, there was nothing more she wanted right now than a cup of hot noodles in her bed. Alone. Watching a movie of some sorts. "Why don't we...put that aside for now and try to finish your meal, okay?"

"W-Wait!," she asked, desperate for attention. "See the microphone? Because you want to be an actor?" She shoved the picture closer to Nanami's face like she couldn't see.

"Oh that's a...yup...! You sure got that right...," she sighed.

"Hm. And your voice acting is going good I hope?," her dad grumbled bitterly. "I can always send you some money."

Something about the way he said that: like he had no trust in her whatsoever, flipped a switch in Nanami. She sighed tiredly, like she was begging him to stop while he can.

"...are we really doing this right now?," she whimpered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Now?"

"Don't you dare talk with that kind of attitude girl," he scolded while still maintaining his calm.

"I. Don't. Need. Your. Help," she scolded back, too tired to care about his encroaching frown. "I don't need- why'd you wanna baby me all the time?"

"Nanami!," her mother hushed. "Not at the table!"

"Nonono he's the one who started it!"

"Quiet!," he bellowed, slamming his fist down on the table. "That is no way to speak to your parents!"

Kuika slid further down her highchair as she nervously darted her eyes between their dad and Nanami. They exchanged threatening glares, the brunette's being much more obvious, before focusing their attention on their dinner. If it could even be called dinner at this point, because the food was as tasteless as wood glue.

"Almost there," she thought, seeing the last of her rice as two neat spoonfuls in her bowl. She was so caught up in thinking of the comeback to end all comebacks, that she didn't notice Kuika tugging at her sleeve.

"Can you help me with my homework? I-"

"What the hell did you say about me?!," Nanami spat after hearing her father mutter something.

"OH I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU!," he roared.

She slammed her bowl on the table and chunks of ceramic shrapnel flew in every direction, but it was barely audible. Nanami managed to yell so loud; and not for a split second, but as a long, continous string of insults that would make veteran drill instructors jealous.

The whole ordeal was unintelligible as they screamed over one another creating a cacophony of noise. It was like they had released the cap on a bottle of emotions that had been building for decades.

Their faces turned red from anger as they pointed and prodded and threw things at one another.

"I GUESS I'LL WORK AT YOUR SHITTY LITTLE SHOP THEN!," was something that was intelligible.

Her mother got between the two of them, trying to stop things from getting physical. At some point the table was flipped off to the side despite it weighing more than the entire family combined.

And poor old Kuika was sat in her high chair crying, not knowing what to make of the conflict.

"STOP IT! JUST STOP IT!," she cried.

"YOU THINK YOU KNOW BETTER?! YOU THINK YOU'VE SEEN IT ALL?!," he yelled back.

Nanami's mouth contorted into a painful smile and she began laughing. "Ho-ly SHIT! YOU'RE RIGHT DAD! THE WORLD IS SUCH A DANGEROUS PLACE ISN'T IT?!"

"Fuck you. You have no idea what happened to me. You have no idea what I had to go through. You have no. Idea. How hard I fought for a chance at happiness."

She bared her teeth.

"TELL YOU WHAT DAD?! I'LL MOVE BACK HOME! I'LL DO EVERYTHING YOU FUCKING SAY. JUST DON'T BE SURPRISED IF YOU FIND ME HANGING WITH A NOOSE AROUND MY NECK!"

...

The whole world fell silent.

He took a step back, mouth agape in a mix of anger, denial and shock. There was a deep pit in his stomach. He felt like a train had slammed into his chest. He felt as if he had actually seen her...hanging from the ceiling for a moment, her lips blue and tears of blood running down her cheeks.

Not a second later Nanami's rage died as quickly as it started, and she was left standing in front of her family. Her family, who was crying and miserable. Because of her. Like she was standing in court for the murder of Nanami Aoyama.

The horrible feeling she got from being judged by three pairs of eyes made her cover her torso defensively.

"I'm leaving," she uttered weakly.

Not a minute later, she was out the door with her suitcase, its contents in the same order as when she walked in. Maybe if she had planned this better. Maybe if she hadn't been so damn brash, it wouldn't have had to end like this.

Maybe she could've just left a letter. Or better yet, said goodbye normally.

The sounds of Kuika bawling her soul out repeated in her mind like the cicadas that chirped endlessly in the night. It was black outside, the only sources of light being the fireflies in the distance and the warm yellow glow of the houses in her neighborhood.

She could already see the silhouettes of the older folks rushing out of their homes to stop what they thought to be a bloody murder. But by the time they got to her house, she was already walking on paved road where dim street lamps lit the path in front of her. Where she just walked and walked, the slow feeling of regret gnawing at her lungs with each step.

It was a long way until she would get to Sorata's hospital.